Fabric and method of making the same.



E. E. WAITE.

FABRIC AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME.

APPLICATION FILED NOV- II. I914.

Patented Oct. 15, 1918.

a W w W Q 5 g N w trating a later step in the process of manu- E STATE FATE @FFTQE.

F FRAMINGHAM, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF TO 015 FRAMINGHAM, MASSACHUSETTS, A COR- EDWIN E. WAITE,

STANDARD WOVEN FABRIC COMPANY, IORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

FABRIC AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME.

Specification of Letters Yatent. Patentgd (p t, 115 1918 Application filed November 17, 1914. Serial No. 872,644.

preferred practice, the weft is laid first and the warp is then stitched into it.

The method may be conveniently practised by supporting the weft on a pair of flexible bands or chains 1 having circumferential dimensions substantially equivalent to that of the belt to be manufactured. These bands are shown in Fig. 1 as supported on three pairs of pulleys or wheels indicated, respectively, by the numerals 2, 3 and 4. The wheels may each have a series of pins projecting from its periphery, these p1ns. belng arranged to enter holes 1n the bands 1 so that, by driving one pair of wheels, both bands will be driven at the same speed. Preferably the bands are made of metal and along the inner edge ofeach band a series of spurs 5is formed. The spurs of the two series are staggered with relation to each other; that is, the spurs of one series lie opposite the space between the adjacent spurs of the other series. 'The weft a is lai To all whom it"may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWIN E. WAITE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Framingham, in the county of Middlesex 5 and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fabrics and Methods of Making the Same, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is

a specification, like reference characters on the drawings indicating like parts in the several figures.

This invention relates to belts of the type used for mechanical purposes, and to methods of manufacturing such belts.

Many attempts have been made to produce an endless belt of textile fabric that would make a satisfactory substitute for the leather belts now in general use for mechanical purposes, but; great difficulty has been experienced in making such a belt on a commercial basis which would have the required degree of flexibility and would avoid the presence of a lap or splice. The present invention rovides a belt which is not open to either of these objections and also provides a novel method of making the same.

The invention will be readily understood from the following description, reference being made to the accompanying drawings,

in which- Figure 1 is a view in side elevation showing one step in the process of manufacture of the fabric, and also showing diagrammatically the more essential elements of an apparatus, withthe aid of which the practice. of this method may be facilitated;

Fig. 2 is an angular view showing a part of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1, and illusweft at the start being caught under a spur 6 in one of the bands, or secured in any other convenient manner; and the weft is then strung back and forth, as shown in Fig. 2, toform a series of parallel strands lying transversely across the space between the bands, the turns at the ends of the strands being supported by the opposite series of spurs 5. The weft may be laid by hand or a yarn guide 7 may be employed, this guide being mounted to reciprocate back and forth from one series of spurs 5 to the other, while the guide arrives at the opposite limits of its stroke. When the laying of the weft has been completed, the end of the weft is secured under a spur 8 like the spur 6 but on faeture of the fabric;

Fig. 3 is an angular view of a small portion of a fabric made in accordance with this invention, the threads or yarn composing the fabric being shown widely separated or spread apart for the purpose of more clearly illustrating the structure of the fabric; and

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 showing a modified form of fabric.

Briefly stated, the fabric consists of a warp and a weft, one of these parts being arranged to form stitches by which it is united to the other part. According to the the spur 6, as shown in Fig. 2. It will be observed that, by this arrangement, the weft is laid in the form of an endless belt, the threads or strands being spaced substantially equi-distant around the circumference of the belt,

As above stated, the warp is stitched into the weft. The stitching may be done by .hand or by the aid of any suitable type of stitch forming mechanism. Inasmuch as some form of automatic stitch forming mechanism or sewing machine is always used the other band and substantially opposite d or stretched on these bands 1, the end of the v the bands 1 are fed forward step by step as removal of the belt in practice, such a mechanism is shown in the drawings, being indicated diagrammatically, by the needle 9 and the shuttle 10. he warp is supplied in the form of a pair of threads, one thread I) being inserted by the needle 9 and the other thread 0 by the shuttle 10. The stitch forming mechanism shown is of the lock type and as this mechanism operates to form the series of stitches, the bands 1 are fed forward step by step at such a rate that, in the arrangement shown, each stitch jumps two weft threads or strands a of the weft; that is, two strands of the weft extend through the loop of each stitch of the warp. This structure is clearly shown in Fig. 3. While the bands are being fed forward and the stitch forming mech anism is making a series of stitches along one edge of the belt, the hands 1 and the stitch forming mechanism are given a relative lateral movement of sufiicient extent to cause the second series of stitches to lie beside and close to thefirst series, that is, this lateral movement causes the warp to be stitched into the belt in a series of turns forming a spiral of very slow pitch. An odd number ofthreads or weft are carried by the bands 1 so that, as the stitch forming mechanism starts to stitch in the second turn of the warp, the stitches will come between the strands that previously were jumped and each pair of strands now jumped will be those lying on the opposite sides of each interlocked portion of the stitches of the first series, as shown in Fig. 3.

The stitching and feeding operations are continued until the entire surface of the weft between the bands 1 has been filled in by the turns or convolutions of the warp. The ends of the warp threads 6 and- 0, both where the stitching started and where it was stopped, are tied or fastened to the belt in any convenient manner to prevent raveling. The belt is then completed. A portion of the belt appears substantially as indicated Obviously the length of the stitch and the number of threads of the weft jumped by each stitch may be varied as circumstances require. The operation of filling the warp into the weft may be commenced while the weft is being laid.

By moving one of the pair of wheels 2, 3 or 4 toward the other two pairs, the bands 1 may be slackened sufiiciently to permit the In Fig. 4.- is shown a portion of a belt made by the method above described, but in this case the warp has been manipulated to form stitches of the chain type instead of the lock type, as in the fabric shown in Fig. 3. Accordingly in this modified form only one warp thread is required.

By making a proper selection of thread or strands a of the in its completed-condiyarn from which to manufacture the belt its degree of flexibility may be varied and it may be made heavy or light as desired, within reasonable limits. It is obvious that the belt is uniform in structure and is literally endless, having no lap or splice. F urthermore a belt of this character can be manufactured very economically.

While certain elements of an apparatus have been shown in the drawings and have been referred to above for the purpose of explaining more clearly this method and a convenient way of practising it, it will be understood that thismethod is not limited to use with any spec'fic form of apparatus but that it may be practised by hand or with the aid of many difierent mechanisms and apparatus.

Having thus described my invention, what claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. An endless fabric belt devoid of a lap or splice and comprising independent sets of warp and weft threads interwoven with each other, one of said sets of threads being arranged to form stitches through the loops of which stitches the other set of threads extends, whereby said stitches lock the warp and weft together.

2. An endless fabric belt comprising a Warp extending circumferentially a plurality of times around the belt in the form of a series of stitches and a weft extending through said stitches and binding the convolutions of the warp together.

3. An endless fabric belt of substantially uniform, structure throughout its en tire length having weft threads lying transversely of the belt and warp threads extending circumferentially of the belt and stitched into the weft.

4. An endless fabric belt comprising a pair of warp threads extending circumferentially around the belt to form a plurality of turns lying side by side and a weft lying transversely of the warp, said warp threads being stitched to the weft at their points of intersection with the weft.

5. An endless fabric belt devoid of a lap or splice and comprising a warp extending circumferentially around the belt and a weft lying transversely of the belt, one of said parts being arranged to form stitches which unite it to the other part.

6. An endless fabric belt comprising a warp arranged to form a series of stitches extending circumferentially around the belt in a plurality of turns lying side by side, and a weft binding said turns of the warp together.

7.'An endless fabric belt comprising a weft, a pair of warp threads lying on opposite sides of the weft and extending circumferentially around the belt to form a plurality of turns lying side by side, said mamas warp threads being interlocked with each threads, which consists in laying one set of other to form stitches which unite them to threads in the form of an endless belt and the weft. I stitching the other set of threads into the 8. That improvement in the art of making set so laid.

5 endless fabric belts which consists in laying In testimony whereof I have aflixed my 15 the weft in the form of an endless belt and signature, in presence of two witnesses. stitching the warp into the Weft in a plu- EDWIN E. WAITE. rality of circumferential turns. Witnesses:

9. That improvement in the art of makm Josnrn E. HAYES, l0 endless fabric belts from warp and weft FREDERICK W. Porn. 

